Chapel Hill - A treatment for localized prostate cancer known as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is better than conventional conformal radiation therapy (CRT) for reducing certain side effects and preventing cancer recurrence, according to a study published in the April 18, 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. In 2012, approximately 241,740 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

James Coghill, MD, has received a grant of more than $529,000 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health) to study a promising target for new therapies to combat graft versus host disease, a serious complication of treatment for many blood cancers.

Chapel Hill - A family of proteins is yielding new information about how it contributes to the development of gastrointestinal disease and cancer. A team of UNC scientists reports that in pre-clinical models, the absence of a protein called NLRP12 significantly increases susceptibility to colitis-associated colon cancer.

Chapel Hill, NC – In a paper published today in the journal Nature Methods, a team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill demonstrates a simple, cost-effective technique for three-dimensional RNA structure prediction that will help scientists understand the structures, and ultimately the functions, of the RNA molecules that dictate almost every aspect of human cell behavior. When cell behavior goes wrong, diseases – including cancer and metabolic disorders – can be the result.

Chapel Hill - A family of proteins is yielding new information about how it contributes to the development of gastrointestinal disease and cancer. A team of UNC scientists reports that in pre-clinical models, the absence of a protein called NLRP12 significantly increases susceptibility to colitis-associated colon cancer.

UNC Health Care will offer free screenings during Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, on Wednesday, April 25, from 1 - 4 p.m. in the Ear, Nose, & Throat Clinic on the ground floor of the N.C. Neurosciences Hospital.

Chapel Hill, NC – In a paper published today in the journal Cell, a team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill unveils the first broad-based test for activation of protein kinases “en masse”, enabling measurement of the mechanism behind drug-resistant cancer and rational prediction of successful combination therapies.

Nancy DeMore, MD, and colleagues presented an abstract at the recent Society of Surgical Oncology 65th annual cancer symposium held in Orlando, Florida in March. Dr. DeMore is an associate professor of surgery and a member of UNC Lineberger.

UNC Cancer Care’s neuro-oncology program will recognize Ependymoma Awareness Day on April 19th, as part of the program’s overall efforts to increase public awareness of this rare tumor and the need for clinical studies to improve early diagnosis, standardize treatment and improve the health status of those living with this disease.

Chapel Hill - In a clinical trial of an experimental drug to treat thyroid cancer, UNC and six other institutions report the first evidence in this tumor that targeting therapy to an oncogene documented to be present in the patient receiving therapy may be associated with clinical benefit.

David Ollila, MD, and Craig Burkhart, MD, spoke about teenage tanning bed use at a Child Fatality Task Force committee meeting on March 26, 2012. They discussed the option of banning teenagers below the age of 18 from tanning bed use.

John Baron, MD, was interviewed by Charles Bankhead of MedPage Today on March 21, 2012 to give his perspective on three recently published reviews in "The Lancet" and "The Lancet Oncology." The reviews suggest that "regular aspirin use leads to significant reductions in the risk of cancer, metastasis, and cancer mortality."

A team of scientists, including several from UNC Lineberger, has identified predictive genetic biomarkers in pre-clinical models that affect response to therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study was done in parallel to an ongoing clinical trial among lung cancer patients at multiple institutions.

Jared Weiss, MD, gave a podcast titled "2011 Highlights in Lung Cancer" that was posted on cancergrace.org on March 15, 2012. In the podcast, Dr. Weiss talks about highlights in lung cancer from 2011 and also answers questions.

Drs. Christine E. Kistler and Adam Goldstein discuss how clinicians can better have conversations about the balance between short-term risk of adverse cardiovascular events associated with taking Chantix compared to the long-term reduction in the risk of death that results from smoking cessation.

Enduring subtle, insidious acts of racial discrimination is enough to depress anyone, but African-American men who believe that they should respond to stress with stoicism and emotional control experience more depression symptoms, according to new findings from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has received a contract from SAIC-Frederick, Inc. to develop potential drug leads for treating renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer in adults.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have helped identify a new DNA entity in mammalian cells and provided evidence that their generation leaves behind deletions in different locations of the cells’ genetic program, or genome.

Tobacco companies have enlisted convenience stores as their most important partners in marketing tobacco products and fighting policies that reduce tobacco use, according to a report released today by leading public health organizations, including The University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Timothy Gershon, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology, has received a four-year National Institutes of Health Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award grant from the National Institute of Neurologic Disease and Stroke.

This award, initiated by the AUA Residents Committee and approved by the AUA Board, is presented annually to recognize an outstanding urology educator or program director who has dedicated a portion of his/her career to teaching residents and advancing urology graduate medical education.

Chapel Hill, NC – In a paper published today in the journal, Cell, a team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has explained for the first time how a long-studied protein complex affects cell migration and how external cues affect cell’s ability to migrate.

UNC Lineberger’s Carolina Well and the Comprehensive Cancer Support Program (CCSP) offered a workshop on “Cancer Transitions: Promoting Wellness & Group Process” for community outreach coordinators and their community partners as well for interested UNC nurses and staff.

Chapel Hill, NC – A series of 15 scientific papers published this week in the journals of the Genetics Society of America (Genetics and G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics) put North Carolina at the epicenter of a scientific resource called the Collaborative Cross – a “library” of genetic diversity that scientists believe can help fast-track important discoveries about genetics and disease into new discoveries, tests, and treatments that impact human health.

Training the next generation of scientists is vital to continued progress in understanding cancer and all human disease. But how do students evaluate the programs offered by colleges and universities to decide which program is the best fit for them?

Lawrence Marks, MD, chair of UNC's department of radiation oncology and a UNC Lineberger member, is quoted in the article "TomoTherapy offers safer radiation" published in today's issue of The News & Observer.

Bladder cancer patients in the Triangle area are not alone. They have a monthly group where “true loving support for each other” is shared, says David Langham, a bladder cancer survivor and one of the organizers of the group.

The way tobacco products are marketed and sold changed with the June 2009 passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. For example, this law mandates larger and stronger warning labels on packs and advertising and prohibits the sale of “light” and clove cigarettes. The FDA Act also now allows states and local communities to regulate the time, place, and manner of tobacco advertising. Thus, states could restrict tobacco promotions or restrict the location of tobacco advertising.

In 2008 UNC and Harvard University’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston were selected by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to carry out accelerated practical studies examining the comparative effectiveness of cancer treatments. The collaboration is called the Cancer Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions about Effectiveness (DEcIDE) Comparative Effectiveness Consortium.

Whether photographing a child in the streets of Vietnam or consulting with a patient about a diagnosis, Dr. Paul Godley employs his intuition and charming personality to put the person in front of him at ease within a matter of moments.

Chapel Hill - After a 20-year quest to find a genetic driver for prostate cancer that strikes men at younger ages and runs in families, researchers have identified a rare, inherited mutation linked to a significantly higher risk of the disease.

Timothy Zagar, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology, and Lawrence Marks, MD, professor and chair of radiation oncology, co-authored an editorial in the December 27, 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Chapel Hill, NC - How much medical information does a woman understand and retain about her breast cancer diagnosis? UNC scientists participated in a four-institution study involving 440 women with early-stage breast cancer and found that breast cancer survivors had limited knowledge about their surgical options, including an understanding of something as important as the risk of recurrence.

Benjamin E. Haithcock, MD, an assistant professor in UNC's Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and a member of UNC Lineberger, discussed esophageal cancer in an interview that was aired on the January 5, 2012 segment of the radio show "Make it Happen."

Deborah Tate, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education and the Department of Nutrition at UNC-Chapel Hill, is quoted in the article "Latest gadgets give diets, workouts a high-tech boost" published in today's issue of The News & Observer.

UNC Lineberger Geriatric Oncology program leaders Hy Muss, MD, and Jan Busby-Whitehead, MD, co-authored an editorial in the December 10, 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Muss is professor of medicine. Busby-Whitehead is professor of medicine, and director of the UNC School of Medicine’s Center for Aging and Health and Division of Geriatric Medicine.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A new study at UNC Chapel Hill will examine what complex and conjoined behavioral factors influence low income people to pursue colorectal cancer screening and what strategies could increase screening rates in disadvantaged communities.

Nancy E. Thomas, MD, PhD, was appointed the first Irene and Robert Alan Briggaman Distinguished Professor. The professorship is named in honor of Dr. Briggaman, who served as chair of the UNC Department of Dermatology from 1987-1999, and his wife, Irene.

Ruben Gonzalez-Crespo, a Spanish interpreter at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, was highlighted in the November 2011 issue of the University Gazette in an article titled "Former singer finds new voice helping others battle cancer."

The Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will award 20 oncology trainees with Merit Awards at the 2012 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. The symposium will be held February 2 - 4, 2012 in San Francisco.

Tori Frahm has experienced just eight Christmases, but she epitomizes the true spirit of the holiday. She and her family organized collection and delivery of 750 presents for pediatric oncology patients and their siblings at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. The gifts helped 125 families have a brighter holiday.

Chapel Hill, NC – In an editorial published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, UNC associate professor E. Claire Dees, MD, reviews current evidence on the safety and efficacy of combination therapies currently used for metastatic breast cancer and urges clinical researchers to move forward with new studies that leverage advances in the identification of tumor biomarkers.

Dr. Marci Campbell, professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, died December 14 after living with cancer with grace and caring for almost two years.

Weili Lin, PhD, has been elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Lin was cited for his outstanding contributions to the development and translation of MR functional neuroimaging.

ATLANTA –December 13, 2011– The American Cancer Society has revised its guideline formation process to achieve greater transparency, consistency, and rigor in creating guidance about cancer screening. The new methods align with new principles from the Institutes of Medicine (IOM) by creating a single generalist group for writing the guidelines, commissioning systematic evidence reviews, and clearly articulating the benefits, limitations, and harms associated with cancer screening tests. The new process is outlined in a Special Communication in the December 14, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

CHAPEL HILL – The era of widely available next generation personal genomic testing has arrived and with it the ability to quickly and relatively affordably learn the sequence of your entire genome. This would include what is referred to as the “exome,” your complete set of protein-coding sequences.

Chapel Hill - The complete sequence of an individual’s genome – all 3 billion DNA building blocks - will soon be affordably available to doctors, patients and even consumers. While knowledge of one’s genome may have important medical benefits, tremendous questions remain regarding an avalanche of such data means and how they should be used. Many clinical, ethical and social issues arise from the evaluation, use and sharing of the data.

Donald Rosenstein, MD, professor of psychiatry and medicine in the UNC School of Medicine and director of the UNC Comprehensive Cancer Support Program, will serve a one-year term as president of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Dr. Rosenstein is a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

President Obama has announced his intent to nominate Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH, Dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor of the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, to chair the President’s Cancer Panel. The panel was established as part of the National Cancer Act, signed by President Nixon in 1971

Blossom Damania, PhD, was a speaker at the Twenty-third Annual Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposium, held November 17-19, 2011 in Irvine, California. The symposium is hosted by the National Academy of Sciences.

Paola Gehrig, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, has been named director of UNC Gynecologic Oncology. In her new role she will oversee gynecologic oncology in the School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Chapel Hill - UNC scientists have demonstrated for the first time how a critical gene associated with a type of childhood cancer alters the way DNA is packaged in cells and leads to cancer. Their laboratory discovery could result in the development of a targeted therapy to treat Ewing Sarcoma, a malignant bone and soft tissue tumor of children and young adults.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – After a heart attack, the portions of the heart damaged by a lack of oxygen become scar tissue. Researchers have long sought ways to avoid this scarring, which can harden the walls of the heart, lessen its ability to pump blood throughout the body and eventually lead to heart failure. But new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine shows that interrupting this process can weaken heart function even further.

Chapel Hill, NC – UNC’s Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC) will be the fourth site in the United States to obtain a leading-edge imaging system called an MRPET scanner (also known as a PET-MRI). The machine will first be installed in current BRIC building but will be moved to the new building going up adjacent to the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and BRIC director Weili Lin, PhD, is already strategizing with top experts in the field to put this innovative technology to good use.

WCHL named Dianne Shaw a Hometown Hero for November 8, 2011. Each weekday the station selects a Hometown Hero who goes “over and above the call of duty,” exemplifying excellent service and dedication to others in the community.

Ned Sharpless, MD, professor of medicine and genetics and associate director for translational research at UNC Lineberger, commented on Mayo Clinic's latest research on aging on the November 6, 2011 broadcast of the NBC Nightly News.

WCHL named Loretta Muss a Hometown Hero for November 4, 2011. Each weekday the station selects a Hometown Hero who goes “over and above the call of duty,” exemplifying excellent service and dedication to others in the community.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - An international team of scientists, including biologists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, may have pinpointed for the first time the mechanism responsible for cell polyploidy, a state in which cells contain more than 2 paired sets of chromosomes.

Chapel Hill - Making a tumor more sensitive to radiotherapy is a primary goal of combining chemo and radiation therapy to treat many types of cancer, but with the chemotherapy drugs come unwanted side effects.

CHAPEL HILL – Research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that the timing of exposure to UV rays – early in the morning or later in the afternoon – can influence the onset of skin cancer.

The V Foundation for Cancer Research announced this week that Greg Wang, PhD, has been awarded the Martin D. Abeloff, MD, V Scholar Award. This award goes to the research project that receives the highest rating from the V Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board. Wang was tied with Hongwu Zheng, PhD, of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for this honor and is the 10th V Scholar from UNC Lineberger.

Terry Magnuson, PhD, Sarah Graham Kenan Professor, Chair of the Department of Genetics, and Vice Dean for Research at the School of Medicine, is featured in a spotlight story on UNC-Chapel Hill's website.

UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Emeritus James Moeser talks with Shelley Earp, MD, director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, about the creation and development of the cancer center. This discussion is the third in a series based on the book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins.

UNC scientists report that in early stage, asymptomatic non-small cell lung cancer, early brain recurrences are potentially detectable prior to surgery and recommend that physicians consider including a routine pre-operative staging brain MRI. In addition, patients whose tumors are determined to be higher risk based on the findings at surgery, should consider post-operative MRI to offer early treatment of unrecognized metastasis.

Dr. Nicholas Shaheen, professor in the UNC School of Medicine, adjunct professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and director of the UNC Center for Esophageal Diseases and Swallowing, will co-direct Barrett’s Esophagus Translational Research Network (BETRNet) projects.

Carol Shores, MD, PhD, FACS, has been interested in the link between viruses and cancer for over 20 years, after working on virus- associated cancers as a pre-doctoral fellow in the UNC Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Oropharyngeal cancers, like cervical cancer, are associated with human papilloma viruses and endemic Burkitt lymphoma, a childhood cancer in sub-Saharan Africa, is associated with Epstein-Barr virus.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Patients who have high-risk non-melanoma skin carcinomas of the head and neck may benefit from concomitant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, according to a UNC-led study. Their study is the first to report on multiple patients with these skin carcinomas treated simultaneously with radio-and chemotherapy.

Noel Brewer, a professor of public health at UNC who has also studied HPV vaccine use, said the public controversy has been less harmful than the fact that many doctors simply don’t know or choose not to recommend it, or that many parents have insurance plans that don’t cover the vaccine or charge large co-pays for it.

Chapel Hill, NC – G-Zero Therapeutics, an RTP company started in 2008 based on technologies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been awarded a $3 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Channing Der and his wife, Kathy, had already planned a 30th wedding anniversary trip to Kenya. After hearing Carolina alumnus and author Rye Barcott talk about his book, It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine’s Path to Peace, and describe the Carolina for Kibera program in Nairobi, Kenya, they knew they had to see the program in action.

Chapel Hill - A team of UNC scientists report that in laboratory studies, overexpression of a specific protein could be used as a prognostic marker and as a guide for therapeutic choices for patients with head and neck cancer. Their findings appear in the September 9, 2011 online issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

CHAPEL HILL – When sperm meets egg, the chemical instructions that tag sperm cells must be erased so that human life can start anew. One way these instructions are erased is through demethylation, the removal of specific chemical tags or methyl groups that dot the underlying DNA of cells. Though scientists have known about this phenomenon for a decade, exactly how such “reprogramming” occurs has proved elusive.

Chapel Hill - A new type of nanoparticle developed in the laboratories at the University of North Carolina has shown potential for more effective delivery of chemotherapy to treat cancer. Wenbin Lin, PhD, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacy, and colleagues report their finding online in advance of print on September 14, 2011 in Angewandte Chemie, the German-based flagship chemistry journal.

CHAPEL HILL – Within the immune system, a subtle balance exists between the cells that destroy alien pathogens and those that preserve the body’s own tissues. When the balance gets out of whack, the cells that normally target viruses or bacteria can go astray, attacking innocent cells and causing autoimmune and inflammatory disease.

Kevin Weeks, a chemist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has received an award from the National Institutes of Health to support innovative research on creating new drugs that work by binding to RNA.

Two UNC Lineberger faculty, Noel Brewer, PhD, associate professor of health behavior and health education in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Karen Mohlke, PhD, associate professor of genetics in the UNC School of Medicine, have received the 2011 Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement by Young Faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Chapel Hill - Deciding whether or not to have breast reconstruction after mastectomy is highly challenging for many patients. Clara Lee, MD, MPP, a UNC School of Medicine physician/scientist, has received a five-year grant award to examine patients’ decision-making process about reconstruction and the effects of reconstruction on quality of life and body image. The $862,700.00 career development award to the plastic and reconstructive surgeon is from the National Institutes of Health.

Peer Connect provides training for cancer survivors who wish to "give back" by talking with or being a buddy to another patient or survivor. Peer Connect meets a need for more formalized training for the "guides" or peer counselors by teaching effective communication skills and strategies based on Motivational Interviewing (MI), which focuses on listening and meeting the needs of the recipient rather than giving advice or telling people what to do.

Chapel Hill, NC – Lawrence B. Marks, MD, chairman of the UNC Department of Radiation Oncology, has been appointed the Dr. Sidney K. Simon Distinguished Professor of Oncology Research at UNC-Chapel Hill. The professorship, established by a $500K gift from Wally (class of ’66) and Lil Loewenbaum of Austin, Texas, is named in honor of Mr. Loewenbaum’s grandfather, Dr. Sidney K. Simon.

Wizdom Powell Hammond, PhD, assistant professor of health behavior and health education at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has been named to the 2011-2012 class of White House Fellows, the White House recently announced.

Chapel Hill, NC – Stefanie Sarantopoulos, MD, PhD, was recruited to UNC in 2009 with the help of the University Cancer Research Fund. Now she is a recipient of two grants that have helped establish her own laboratory to look into the causes of chronic Graft vs. Host Disease. Sarantopoulos is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and Microbiology and Immunology and a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels and Raleigh-Durham Area Hyundai Dealers today awarded Ian Davis, MD, PhD, a $100,000 grant to support research into the causes of and treatments for pediatric sarcoma. Davis, assistant professor of pediatrics and genetics and a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of 71 recipients of Hyundai Hope on Wheels’ 2011 Hope Grant program, where $7.1 million will be awarded to support research and programs in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

The UNC Comprehensive Cancer Support Program is sponsoring a monthly community educational series called “Cancer Conversations.” Featuring UNC physicians and others, the series is a time intended to help people learn from and talk with cancer experts. The sessions will be held the third Tuesday of each month from 7:00 – 8:30 pm: September 20, October 18, November 15 (no session in December).

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. It takes life-saving research to Conquer Kids’ Cancer! The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, has awarded a $330,000 St. Baldrick’s Scholar award to Timothy Gershon, MD, PhD, and assistant professor of neurology at the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chapel Hill - A UNC-led study has shown the potential for nanotechnology therapy for ovarian cancer. Scientists at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and Duke University Medical Center conducted a preclinical study using nanoparticle technology to deliver doses of chemo- and radiotherapy that specifically targeted metastasized ovarian cancer cells, eradicating the cancer and lessening the toxicities often associated with the treatment.

Each month the Patient Resource Cancer Guide recognizes an oncology nurse who exhibits dedication and compassion for his/her patients and profession - Delma Armstrong, BSN, RN, OCN, is the featured oncology nurse for June 2011.

Chapel Hill, NC – Charles M. Perou, PhD, professor of genetics, and pathology & laboratory medicine, and leader of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center breast cancer research program has been appointed the May Goldman Shaw Distinguished Professor of Molecular Oncology Research. The professorship, established by a $1 million gift from Wally (class of ’66) and Lil Loewenbaum of Austin, Texas is named in honor of Mrs. Lowenbaum’s mother, May Goldman Shaw.

Cancer is a leading cause of widowed fatherhood in the United States. Faculty with UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Comprehensive Cancer Support Program authored a commentary titled “Single Fatherhood Due to Cancer” in the August issue of the journal Psycho-Oncology outlining challenges these fathers face and future directions to develop supportive interventions for them and their children.

New television ads for UNC Cancer Care are now airing. As we launch the UNC Cancer Care brand, we hope these ads reflect a little bit of what our outstanding clinical care programs are all about. Be sure to look for them on television! The ads can also be viewed below.

CHAPEL HILL, NC – In a kind of molecular gymnastics, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have devised a gene therapy cocktail that has the potential to treat some inherited diseases associated with “misfolded” proteins.

Chapel Hill - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher Joseph DeSimone, PhD, will partner with scientists at two universities and a local biotechnology company to develop a nanoparticle vaccine for prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Foundation awarded the UNC-Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard-Johns Hopkins-Liquidia Technologies consortium a Challenge Award of $1 million, one of ten such awards funded by the organization.

RALEIGH, NC – Crown Imports announced today that the highly successful “Corona Cares” charitable donation program in North Carolina will kick off on August 1 to benefit patients and families at the N.C. Cancer Hospital.

Chapel Hill - A University of North Carolina-led international study shows that among Kenyan men, circumcision is associated with a lower prevalence of human papillomavirus-associated precancerous lesions of the penis.

The article "Oncologists by day, rock stars by night” written by Rachel Saslow and published in The Washington Post on July 25, 2011 features the band, N.E.D (which stands for “No Evidence of Disease”).

Ken Jacobson, PhD, Kenan Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology in the UNC School of Medicine, received the Gregorio Weber Award for Excellence in Fluorescence Theory and Applications at the annual meeting of the Biophysical Society in Baltimore, Maryland.

CHAPEL HILL – For decades, scientists have known that DNA consists of four basic units – adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. Those four bases have been taught in science textbooks and have formed the basis of the growing knowledge regarding how genes code for life. Yet in recent history, scientists have expanded that list from four to six.

Collaboration between University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Canadian scientists has resulted in a molecular probe capable of specifically targeting two proteins that affect a wide range of biological functions in humans by controlling the expression of certain genes.

Chapel Hill - A new fellowship training program in psychosomatic medicine is beginning at UNC, a partnership of the UNC School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and the UNC Comprehensive Cancer Support Program, part of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Chapel Hill - Channing Der, PhD, Kenan Professor of Pharmacology, and Yue Xiong, PhD, Kenan Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, have been awarded the fourth annual Hyman L. Battle Distinguished Cancer Research Award in recognition of their accomplishments in cancer research. Both are members of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Chapel Hill - Thomas Shea, MD, will serve a two-year term as chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR). He was previously elected as chair-elect. The Advisory Committee establishes policy for, and provides scientific direction to the CIBMTR.

Recent UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and former UNC Women’s Basketball player Jessica Breland – who now plays in the WNBA for the New York Liberty – was honored with the the 23rd annual Honda Inspiration Award.

Chapel Hill - The human immune system is a double-edged sword. While it is finely adapted to fighting potentially deadly viruses, such as the H1N1 influenza, the mechanisms it uses to fight pathogens can have negative effects such as inflammatory disorders or autoimmune diseases.

Gary Rosson was honored by the NC Triangle Komen Race for the Cure as the 2011 winner of the Co-Survivor Award. Rosson is a research associate in the lab of UNC Lineberger faculty member Scott Bultman.

Each year, the President’s Cancer Panel assembles a group of experts to provide official testimony about the nation’s cancer agenda. The theme changes annually – for 2009-2010 the panel focused on “America’s Demographic and Cultural Transformation: Implications for Cancer.” A full report was released this spring.

UNC Lineberger’s Fellowship Program in Hematology/Oncology is being recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) this weekend at the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The article "Why do men die earlier?" written by Bridget Murray-Law and published in the June 2011 issue of Monitor on Psychology, looks at new research that analyzes how men take care of themselves.

Conference will be held in Washington, D.C., Sept. 15-16. UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is part of a collaborative effort among leading medical institutions brought together by LIVESTRONG.

Chapel Hill - Tacrolimus, a drug that is commonly used to prevent organ transplantation rejection, inhibits breast cancer growth in pre-clinical studies. The finding from UNC scientists was reported in the May 26th Public Library of Science.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Dr. Carolyn Sartor discussed the “New Life After Cancer” organization on the April 28, 2011 broadcast of Here's to Your Health. Dr. Sartor is a breast cancer survivor and former Chair of Radiation Oncology at UNC.

Richard Goldberg, MD, distinguished professor and chief of the division of hematology/oncology, has been appointed to chair the 2012 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium Steering Committee on behalf of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

CHAPEL HILL – Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, after isolating normal stem cells that form the developing placenta, have given them the same properties of stem cells associated with an aggressive type of breast cancer.

New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine adds clarity to the connection. The study published on-line April 10th in the journal Nature Immunology finds that saturated fatty acids but not the unsaturated type can activate immune cells to produce an inflammatory protein, called interleukin-1beta.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The article "Next Generation Treatment for Triple-Negative and Basal-Cell Breast Cancer" written by Jonathan Batchelor and published on the website cancernetwork.com on March 9, 2011 features an interview with UNC Lineberger member Lisa Carey, MD.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A UNC study released this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology finds an increasing incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue in young white females in the United States over the last three decades.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Federico Innocenti, MD, PhD, has been appointed associate professor of pharmacy in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. He will serve as associate director of the UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy and a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A Triangle-based UNC spinoff company at the forefront of efforts to use nanotechnology to tackle diseases has received a $10 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sixty physicians at the University of North Carolina Hospitals are listed in the latest version of “America’s Top Doctors,” a compilation that is published annually by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. Of those, 32 are members of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center or involved in UNC Cancer Care’s multidisciplinary programs.

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed new rules restricting outdoor tobacco advertising near schools and playgrounds in 2009, the tobacco industry argued that such rules would lead to a near complete ban on tobacco advertising in urban areas. An article in the March 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that the effect of these rules would be less severe on businesses than the industry contends.

Researchers investigating a genetic mutation in brain cancer and leukemia patients have discovered how one cancer metabolite battles another normal metabolite to contribute cancer development. Helping the “good guys” win that battle could yield new approaches for treatment.

Heartfelt thanks to the staff of the N.C. Cancer Hospital, fellow UNC employees, our volunteers, patients, families, and friends. The Oncology Winter Coat Drive was a tremendous success - 107 winter coats were collected and distributed to our families and their caregivers throughout the month of January until February 11, 2011. Hats, scarves, gloves, and socks were added to each winter coat selection as needed. A very special Valentine’s Day thank you to all for sharing your hearts!